These five Towers of Genius were all astonishingly massive.

And now, people had arrived at three of these towers.

Experts. Experts, and more experts.

Geniuses! Geniuses, and peerless geniuses!

Lu Yuan was now utterly aware of what it meant to have geniuses rain down like showers, and peerless geniuses likewise. Back in Jin State, he had been the sole standout; only here did he realize how many geniuses existed in the world—those from Dayong, those from Dagu, those from Dayi—too many peerless geniuses.

With so many peerless geniuses in this world, there would naturally be a corresponding multitude of extraordinary sword techniques. It truly was never lonely.

Lu Yuan, at this moment, felt an extraordinary exhilaration.

With so many spirited drinkers, with so many brilliant swordsmanships, how could one not be thrilled? During these past days, conflicts had erupted within several of the genius towers. None of these geniuses or peerless geniuses were lesser than any other; most were inherently arrogant. Although there was a decree in Dayong City forbidding duels, they could simply fly outside the city limits to fight.

Reportedly, the battles waged were spectacular, with the top powerhouses in each realm demonstrating their formidable strength.

Currently, the most powerful were unanimously agreed to be the three at the Eighth Level of the Great Dao Realm: one from each realm—Xiao Fengxiong from the Southern Realm, Li Qiuhuan from the Northern Realm, and Fu Ying from the Eastern Realm.

“Those from the Great Rui Nation are already en route and will arrive in Dayong City shortly. The start time for the final assessment cannot be delayed; it commences tomorrow at the hour of Chen.”

Chen—when the sky was just beginning to lighten.

And here, in the Imperial City of Dayong, everyone had already begun to assemble.

The peerless geniuses and geniuses of the Southern Dayong Nation! Two hundred and forty-nine, not one missing, not one overlooked. The peerless geniuses and geniuses of the Northern Dagu Nation! Two hundred and fifty, not one missing, not one overlooked! And the peerless geniuses and geniuses of the Eastern Dayi Nation! Two hundred and fifty, not one missing, not one overlooked, all present.

As mentioned earlier, the plaza before the Dayong Imperial Palace was vast—large enough to accommodate ten thousand people!

Yet, with seven hundred and fifty people gathered there now, it already felt incredibly crowded. In truth, the distance between individuals was significant; many were likely separated by seven or eight zhang. But every genius! Every peerless genius possessed too powerful an aura, too strong a presence—so strong that even separated by such a distance, it was overwhelming.

“The people from the Western Great Rui Nation have arrived.” Everyone looked over. Great Rui was also one of the four great powers. Let's see what kind of figures they had sent. The person leading them seemed to possess little imposing aura. Instead, he was an ordinary young man, gentle and refined as jade, with sharp brows and bright eyes. Dayong’s Xiao Fengxiong was unrestrained and unmatched; Dayi’s Fu Ying was like a war god incarnate; Dagu’s Li Qiuhuan carried a melancholic air. Yet, the leader from Great Rui was so mild and ordinary, causing surprise.

However, everyone knew this person was anything but common. Gu Qiushui of the Startling Sword was also a powerhouse at the Eighth Level of the Great Dao Realm, reigning above the other peerless geniuses and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Xiao Fengxiong, Fu Ying, and Li Qiuhuan.

Following Gu Qiushui were several other quite dazzling figures.

There was a gentle young master in white with a handsome, placid face; another young master who kept coughing; and a young man whose brow suggested a desire to soar. There was also a young man utterly unremarkable, like a small stone, and a melancholic middle-aged man clutching a wine gourd, along with a loyal, sturdy man with exceptionally thick arms. Hmph, and a picture-perfect young master seated in a wheelchair.

The various experts from Great Rui Nation were clearly formidable.

As everyone was scrutinizing the experts from Great Rui, a shimmering teleportation array appeared overhead. This array was completely different from those Lu Yuan had seen before; given his limited experience, he naturally did not recognize it. Shi Feixian from the Dayi side shouted, “Extra-territorial Teleportation Array!”

An Extra-territorial Teleportation Array? Could that mean people from the Lost Lands?

Only the Lost Lands used Extra-territorial Teleportation Arrays. The cost of using one of these was at least ten thousand times that of a normal array, perhaps even a hundred thousand times. Under normal circumstances, no one would willingly use such an array.

Over two hundred figures descended, but the leaders were not one person, but two.

“From the extra-territorial Lost Lands, the exiled citizens, Huo Yibu and Jing Cuo, have arrived.” Both these individuals surged with divine power, clearly having reached the peak of the Seventh Level of the Great Dao Realm, indicating they would be tough opponents. Following them were many other powerful individuals, including a young man with a sinister smirk, wielding a fiery-red sword.

Thus, the Southern Realm Dayong! The Northern Realm Dagu! The Eastern Realm Dayi! The Western Realm Rui! And the Lost Lands!

The contingents participating in the final assessment were finally gathered.

A total of twelve hundred people.

Every single one of these two hundred individuals could be called a genius, and the top fifty among them could be termed peerless geniuses! If any one of these twelve hundred were dropped into any nation, they would instantly become the central figure of that country, capable of wielding its ultimate authority.

And now, these twelve hundred geniuses were gathered together.

Twelve hundred streams of potent auras collided in the void.

What an intensely powerful confluence of auras!

Twelve hundred true dragons gathered together could never compare to the auras emitted by these twelve hundred geniuses. And this was merely the present; one could imagine that a hundred years from now, twelve thousand, or even one hundred and twenty thousand true dragons, would still not match the powerful presence of these twelve hundred geniuses.

The Imperial Palace plaza, capable of holding one hundred thousand people, now seemed far too small.

At this moment, those figures who were already overwhelmingly powerful were sizing each other up, especially those above the Seventh Level of the Great Dao Realm. Of course, those who were merely Seventh Level Great Dao Realm frauds, like Mo Zihe who relied entirely on elixirs, were largely ignored; a normal Seventh Level Great Dao Realm cultivator could easily dispatch such a counterfeit.

Lu Yuan, ranked eleventh at the time, missed being noticed by just one spot. Moreover, relatively speaking, Lu Yuan, only at the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm, possessed truly low magical power. In reality, Lu Yuan was currently observing several exceptionally outstanding swordsmen; without even looking at their blades, he could sense from their sword qi which ones were excellent sword masters.

Those surges of earth-shattering sword qi! They truly inspired anticipation.

The Lord of Dayong, Zhou Zhongyong, appeared. His arrival exuded an overwhelmingly powerful presence. However, even this sudden display of might could not suppress the thousand and two hundred geniuses! Not even the aura of the Chaos Realm could subdue them. Zhou Zhongyong couldn't help but let out a wry smile; he realized this generation was exceptionally bizarre.

In previous years, those at the Seventh Level of the Great Dao Realm were rare; each realm might have a maximum of two or three such figures. But this time, things were exceedingly strange: every realm had more than ten Great Dao Realm figures, and even those at the Eighth Level had appeared. The elite talent in this cohort far surpassed any previous generation.

This would be the most concentrated era of brilliance.

This generation was destined to be the Golden Generation.

The figures of this generation were destined to be celebrated throughout history in regions outside the Central Celestial Dynasty. There were far too many peerless geniuses in this batch.

Too many peerless geniuses; even if these individuals entered the Central Celestial Dynasty later, they would likely stir up localized tempests, Zhou Zhongyong mused, feeling a flicker of expectation.

Zhou Zhongyong stood with his hands behind his back: “Twelve hundred people, four hundred slots. It sounds like a lot. But you are all geniuses! Peerless geniuses! Selecting three to eliminate eight hundred who cannot enter the Central Celestial Dynasty will not be easy for any of you, given how strong everyone is.”, “Therefore, this promises to be an utterly spectacular battle…” Zhou Zhongyong spoke this from the bottom of his heart; indeed, this would inevitably be incredibly spectacular, featuring so many stunning, peerless geniuses.

“The final assessment will begin shortly. Now, I will outline the rules for the final assessment…” Zhou Zhongyong announced: “The final assessment will still be divided into two rounds. The first round is worth fifty points, and the second round is also worth fifty points. Each carries fifty points. The top four hundred figures will qualify to enter the Central Celestial Dynasty. And the higher your ranking, the greater the benefits—that is inevitable. Moreover, these benefits will not be provided by our Dayong Nation, but by the Central Celestial Dynasty. You must be aware of the generosity of the Central Celestial Dynasty; as long as you perform impressively, you are certain to receive enormous rewards.”

“Now, we will begin announcing the rules for the first task of the assessment…” Zhou Zhongyong stated.

The atmosphere instantly became incredibly tense.

Lu Yuan had expected to watch all this with detached composure, but he found his palms slightly sweaty at this moment. Such a loss of composure! Lu Yuan picked up his wine gourd and took a sip.

In the sky, the layers of clouds began to converge. These layered clouds were already being affected by the auras of the twelve hundred geniuses, transforming into countless images of clashing armies and battles—even the clouds were shaped by conflict.

“The rule for the first task is…” Zhou Zhongyong raised his hand.

As Zhou Zhongyong spoke, Nalan De, the Second Lord of Dayong, materialized behind him. This generation’s master strategist stood there, emanating an aura that did not greatly diminish Zhou Zhongyong’s. He glanced at Lu Yuan. This fellow actually showed up. If he lost his qualification to enter the Central Celestial Dynasty, falling outside the top four hundred, once the final assessment concluded and the Central Celestial Dynasty’s ban was relaxed, Nalan De could kill Lu Yuan.

Yan Cangtian, if you sent your protégé to the Lost Lands, what is there to stop this sovereign from slaying him?

Everything waited for the conclusion of the final assessment.

Oh, and this sovereign has arranged a great gift for you in the final assessment—Mo Zihe. Strengthening Mo Zihe’s power was specifically meant to intercept you. Six months ago, you were helpless against the Power of One Dragon; now, Mo Zihe also possesses the Power of One Dragon. He will execute this sovereign’s plan and ambush you.

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